Luke was a footballer who really wanted to build some muscle and add tone to his entire body, particularly his shoulders, chest and thighs. Although he had been weight training prior to enlisting our online personal training services, he was not experiencing optimal results. In only 8 weeks he completely reshaped his body and has become passionate about being fit and healthy!
Luke's Testimonial about our Online Personal Training Services:
I'll start this by saying that I think I'm pretty much the perfect example of a guy who's afraid of commitment.
For as long as I can remember I've wanted a better body, have tried a few times at the gym, but have just never been able to commit long-term. Despite looking in the mirror and being slightly disappointed in myself for the shape I was in (a bit underweight, lacking definition but with a few redeeming qualities), I had never seen results from the sporadic training I'd been doing and sport I played. I always knew there was something missing in my approach, but had never had the time or, more accurately, the deadly serious inclination to take charge and do something about it.
And so I had gone on, always mildly self-conscious and, honestly, jealous of other blokes with better bodies than myself.
Fortunately, I met Jay through a business relationship, and read his own personal transformation story. From that, I was able to draw many parallels with my own situation and was, in fact, really inspired by it. Here was a guy who had been in a worse physical and mental position than I was, but had had the courage and strength of will, but also the smarts and strategy, to get exactly what he wanted.
So, with a deep breath, I took the plunge.
I'll evaluate my Amino Z experience much like you would any customer-oriented experience, on three criteria: service, value for money and results.
Service
Jay is a fantastic trainer, and runs a very slick operation. His professionalism and strategic approach towards understanding my initial goals and measurements gave me immediate confidence. Living in a different state, the online training was going to be a different experience for me, and going in I did have some questions as to whether it would be effective. I took the Extras package, which gave me an eating and exercise plan, and we caught up twice a week online to evaluate my results and discuss my thoughts and questions.
The Amino Z web site is an amazing resource, chock-a-block full of information. The instructional videos were a real highlight for me, especially given that I would be training solo. I also ordered a couple of products from the online store, and the delivery was lightning fast and well priced.
It was clear to me that Jay never used "canned" responses in his analysis of my results - each entry was thoughtful, personal and took into account my previous results. Each time I asked a question, Jay responded promptly and with great detail, drawing on both his own knowledge and advice, and scientific fact as well.
He was also an excellent mentor - at times the training was tough, and I experienced self doubt and the doubt of others. Jay encouraged me in these times, as he had himself been through them and had helped many others as well.
On several occasions he altered my program to ensure I didn't plateau, and constantly challenged me as to whether I felt I was getting the most of out both my exercise and nutrition program. I also suffered a couple of injuries, which Jay helped me through, all the while telling me to keep my eye on the "bigger picture" - long term improvement.
Value for Money
There is no question that the program requires a serious financial commitment, for Amino Z's fees, gym fees needed to perform the exercises, and additional nutrition and other items. I felt, for the level of service I received, Jay's fees were very reasonable, and at no time did I feel I was being "milked", nor was there any pressure to up sell. Every recommendation was based on sound scientific and experience-based knowledge.
Was it worth it? I answer that with other questions. What price do you put on something that empowers you to achieve your own goals yourself, something you've been unable to achieve previously? What figure do you put on improved self-esteem, a more positive outlook, and the knowledge, technique and experience to continue a healthy lifestyle and weights training once your program is complete?
In short, the answer is yes. Be prepared to spend the money, but yes, it is worth it. Consider it an investment.
Results
This is very subjective. Am I where I want to be long-term? No. Coming from a very low base of strength and muscle mass, I am certainly not yet completely satisfied with my current physical shape. There is no doubt that I am in far better shape than when I started - definition has improved, as has mass and body fat percentage. I'm stronger, more flexible and have improved posture.
But am I satisfied with the results of my 12-week program? Absolutely. It's a shock to look back at my initial pictures. I'm very proud of what I achieved in a relatively short space of time, with a couple of injury setbacks and coming from this low base.
The other major positive is that you don't just "unlearn" all the skills and knowledge imparted on you in the program. It's all still there, waiting to be built upon and grown. I am now more committed than ever to continual improvement. I'm in the gym almost every day for one reason or another, and can't remember having more energy or drive. It's a lifestyle that is getting easier and easier to enjoy.
I am fully aware that my physical development is a long-term project, but I am eternally grateful to Jay for his training. It has, quite literally, changed me as a person. I rarely drink alcohol or eat unhealthily now - I'm not a wowser, I'm just aware that these things stand in the way of what I want to achieve, and are easy "excuses" to not achieve them.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Amino Z's services to anyone considering them. It has certainly changed my life for the better, and I am proud to have initiated, accepted, and tackled the challenge with my best effort. Jay has been instrumental in initiating a major change in my life, and you can trust him to do the same for you, provided that you yourself have the desire and willpower to go for it.
From the Trainer (Jay Bonaretti):
As Luke mentioned above, Luke and I initially met through a business relationship. He expressed some interest in obtaining some assistance to achieve the body that he had always desired. I jumped at the opportunity to assist him in his endeavours after the exceptional work he provided for us.
Luke was seeking to gain muscle and tone up. Whilst he was already quite active from his football training and some resistance training, he just wasn't seeing the physical results that he was hoping for. So I went ahead and developed a more structured training and nutritional approach that would help him to achieve these goals.
Luke hit a major obstacle at the eight week mark where he sustained a fairly serious back injury from clowning around with a girl at the beach! This resulted us having to take the appropriate precautions to allow the injury to heal completely. However this did not stop him from staying focused on the long-term goals that he had. In fact, I believe that on some level he benefited from this experience by appreciating the fact that muscle development is a long-term project - he came to the realisation that an injury that was going to put him out of action for a number of weeks would have a negligible impact on his physique in a year or two down the track. This shift in mind set was very apparent over the course of our training together, which is why I am so confident that he is going to continue to make consistent progress over the coming years.
What was even more powerful was how Luke's physical development impacted his typical daily habits and choices, self-perception and overall quality of life. It's just amazing to see that in such a short period of time he was able to overcome the barriers that were holding him back from true greatness.
Luke, congratulations on a job well done. You are a true inspiration and I look forward to staying in touch and keeping tabs on your progress over the coming years!
